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LAUREL — Laurel-Concord-Coleridge schools will be hitting the wrestling mat for its 2025-26 season with its own team.
The school has grappled with just how to offer the sport for the past several years. LCC was on its own for several years, but then started a co-op with Randolph, wiich lasted for four years.
When that agreement ended, LCC joined up with Wayne.
The school district decided to end its cooperative agreement with Wayne Public Schools and has hired Chad Koch to be its new wrestling coach.
The cooperative agreement was in its last year of the two-year agreement.
There are currently two high school boys participating in the wrestling co-op with Wayne this season.
“We anticipate that local interest will grow now having a local program with consistent coaching and a positive transition for the Junior High program to the high school,” Christiansen said.
The Junior High program, under Koch’s leadership, has been thriving, he said, including some girls wrestling.
Koch is a 2010 Cedar Catholic High School graduate. He advanced to the state tournament while in high school and held several school records in the sport.
At its meeting last week, school board members also approved the purchase of a cargo van for $69,000, to replace an older vehicle in its fleet.
The opportunity to purchase the van from a Papillion dealer came about after another school district ordered it and then ended up not purchasing it.
“School districts have specific federal transportation guidelines that restrict the type of vehicle that can be used to transport students. Unfortunately, those specified vehicles are not readily produced by car manufacturers,” Christiansen said.
Christiansen counted the district fortunate as typically it can take up to 12 months of lead time from order to delivery for new vehicles.
The new 2024 Ram ProMaster Cargo Van replaces an older vehicle from its fleet from 2011.
New board members Jon Graham and Garry Anderson were given the oath of office and participated in their first regular board meeting last week.
The board reorganized in electing officers for 2025: Jay Hall, president; Carol Erwin, vice president; and Grant Settje, secretary.
Plans are being formalized for a dedication ceremony of the newly constructed Laurel campus.
Patrons will be invited to tour the building and greenhouse as part of the ceremony Monday, March 24. A time has not been set yet but will likely be in the afternoon, Christiansen said. Additional tour times will be set for Tuesday, March 25, and Saturday, March 29.
